1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to interactive software, and more particularly, to bringing user attention to guidance information presented on a display device.
2. Related Art
Computers and other interactive electronic devices equipped with displays and user input mechanisms are an increasingly prevalent and important part of people's lives. The technology implemented in such devices has advanced significantly in recent decades. The processing power of processors continues to double approximately every few years. The size and speed of volatile memory is constantly increasing while the cost of memory is constantly decreasing. The size and quality of display devices is also rapidly improving with time. These and other improvements to have resulted in more and more users having a wide range of computer expertise using computers in a wide range of activities.
Because many users of computers are not highly computer-trained individuals, there is an increasing demand for more capable and more user-friendly software to execute on interactive electronic devices. Exemplary interactive software includes, for example, Internet browser, record keeping, financial management, document drafting, and communication (e.g., e-mail and or instant messaging) software.
For interactive software which permits or requires user input, static mode (that is, non-changing) user instructions are often displayed to facilitate accurate user input. Commonly, the interactive software also determines whether the user input contains an error and, if so, provides similarly static information identifying the violated user instruction.